Amid midsummer temperatures that felt almost tropical, Japan Day took place for the 17th time in the state capital under the theme: “Japanese Tradition—Art and Culture.”

On this very topic, members of the Neandertal Kyudo Club were able to demonstrate and explain an ancient martial art to visitors. Throughout the day, visitors had the opportunity to watch traditional Japanese archery at a specially set-up shooting range directly in front of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament.

Here, in groups of up to three archers, they demonstrated archery in front of a makiwara (a straw bale) located about 2 meters away. Normally, archers shoot at a target with a diameter of 36 cm from a distance of 28 m, but this was unfortunately not possible due to strict safety regulations.
Even experienced kyudoka regularly practice at this short distance to focus solely on posture and technique, regardless of whether they hit the target. In Kyudo, hitting the target should not be forced; it must result automatically from proper technique.

At 1:15 p.m., our performance took place on the sports stage. This year, we were not allowed to shoot arrows at the straw bales, so the demonstration consisted solely of simulated shots. Two shooting styles were shown, and the differences in their procedures were explained. The more traditional form, Heki Ryu Insai Ha (Shamen), and the modern form, ANKF Renmei (Shomen).

Heki Ryu Insai Ha originates from military archery and thus has a very long tradition. Shooting is performed either standing or in a kneeling position. This school focuses on hitting the target as powerfully, consistently, and accurately as possible.

The Shomen style is the more modern form of Kyudo and the most widely practiced throughout Japan. It has its origins in ceremonial archery at temples or in hunting on horseback. The latter, known as Yabusame, still exists today. Only a handful of people, exclusively in Japan, have mastered this art.

Today, of course, Kyudo in all its styles is no longer used for warfare, but solely for training the body and mind in accordance with the DO principle.

The form and sequence of group archery were also demonstrated on stage. It is precisely at this point that even an outsider can clearly see that Kyudo is also a group sport and that teamwork is essential.

We hope that we were able to inspire many visitors to Japan Day with Kyudo this year and provide them with a good insight into the sport.

As previously announced, a beginner’s course will take place on June 30, 2018, from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. More information will follow in the next post.
If you can’t make it that day or don’t want to wait until then, feel free to visit us during our regular practice sessions to get a first impression.

Just register in advance by email or phone.
You can find our contact information on our website under “Contact.”

Automatically translated by DeepL